This is mostly a 3D Platformer, but you will have "battles" that play like a cross between Panel de Pon and Daedalian Opus, though extra elements are continually introduced to maintain complexity. I'm not great at the Puzzle genre, and I still enjoyed them a great deal; they weren't impossibly hard for non-veterans of the genre, but were intricate enough that they remained fresh and interesting, even in the very last one. The world is filled with surreal beauty, and the soundtrack wonderfully fits that, as is to be expected from Melos and Marina; I'm a huge fan of their work, and this might be my favorite soundtrack that they've ever put out. Unfortunately, the platforming is really frustrating; the movement feels just fine, but the wall-run mechanic almost feels like a glitch, and it's pretty central. I can't harp on this too much, because if you get too frustrated, there are always the infinite dash and infinite jump options. That gets you through any difficult spots, but it's often hard to figure out where to even go. Sure, you could just speed... jump? your way over to the exits or any of the items or species you want to interact with, but with this game's incredible visual design, you want to progress through the areas as intended, because the visual flow of the design is absolutely impeccable. I found some of the cutscenes to be a bit disjointed, too; I'm fine with abstract storytelling, and exploring many different topics, but I think it was a little too short for each of the parts to fully grow and develop. Overall, I did enjoy my time with Sephonie, and would recommend it if you're a fan of Analgesic's other work, but it's not without its frustrations.
This takes oldschool NES games and puts them together in a satisfying package with some modern design ideas, and that's just the base game: Shovel of Hope. The games are tough, but fun and rewarding, and you make it to the end by mastering the mechanics... and sometimes buying a few game-breaking upgrades, which usually is an option. Couple that with vibrant, colorful visuals and a KILLER soundtrack, and you've got a great game. And then, you get Plague of Shadows, which has you playing as the eponymous Plague Knight. It starts out overly difficult and awkward, but finish the first stage, buy the Float Burst, and the game gets a LOT better. Customizing your bombs (which are your main weapon) is super fun, and there are some stages that are actually easier as Plague Knight; just give it a little time. And THEN, you get Specter of Torment, which has you playing as the BEST character in redesigned stages with a wall-run and a context-sensitive air dash that is very satisfying to use. This one also takes a little getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, the mechanics are super satisfying. You also get King of Cards, which uses an air dash with a drill jump, and is also really satisfying to leap and twirl your way through the stages. Unfortunately, there's also a card game that's pretty unforgiving even early on; cards you win have an element of chance of even popping up, and tougher opponents can actually cheat. Maybe you like card stuff, and you'll enjoy it; I wasn't about to put myself through all that. On top of that, you get Shovel Knight Showdown, which is a Platform Fighter using Shovel Knight mechanics. I didn't care for this one either, because the win conditions are a little gimmicky, and the unlock conditions are asking way too much. All that said, even if there is a mode or two you don't like, what's here is excellent, and it's a great value for what you're getting; I highly recommend this to all fans of 2D Platformers.
This Adventure has some very light platforming, but more of a focus on exploration and social interaction. The way the towns little mysteries unfold is neat, prodding you to explore and wonder at what lies beyond this door or that gate. You talk to people in the town and hang out with friends, building relationships, and sometimes getting pretty philosophical. This game has a LOT of themes that it explores. Many nights, though, you have these really weird dreams that aren't quite nightmares, exactly, but are dark and have these monstrous animal gods erupting near the end; naturally, this is building to something. And it does, but without going too far into spoiler territory, everything goes back to normal without really being truly resolved. I'm still not sure how I feel about this game, and that's how it's been the whole way through. The autumn colors are lovely, of course, and the occasionally rainy weather only expands that. It's really all over the place, though, and maybe not good from a traditional storytelling perspective, but it's not bad, either. When people aren't saying much of anything, they don't drone on and on about it, like in some games, but the tone is so wildly inconsistent. All told, I'm glad to have had the experience, because I've never seen anything written quite like it, but it was so many wildly different things that I can't really process any of it. Mae is kind of an asshole, and a decent portion of the game is forcing you to ruin her life further, but she's also a good person, and it isn't really complexity so much as inconsistency. All told, maybe pick it up on sale, but it's an experience worth having, even if it's hard to process it all.
This Puzzle-Platformer is absolutely gorgeous; I love the vaguely sea-themed, but bright, colorful, and wildly abstract visuals. Most everything moves fairly well; the jumping feels a little stiff, even with a double-jump, but there isn't much of an emphasis on it, so it doesn't cause a lot of problems. The puzzles mechanics are a mixed bag; some are very intuitive, but not all of their rules are easy to understand. That said, aside from the very end, most aren't too frustrating.
This First-Person Adventure isn't something that requires a ton of brain power to solve its puzzles, but it's a pretty wild ride, if you're down for a game that offers little else. The humor is mostly non-stop off-the-wall stuff, like was popular in the '90s, and does include a lot of references to things from the '90s. Everything you do is complete nonsense, so not all of the jokes are going to land, but it at least doesn't stop you in your tracks until you put 87 different item combinations together until you figure out, "OH! I need to make a porkscrew!" and then kills you and dead-ends your progress anyway. It does have a kitschy '50s visual style, but that was also popular in the '90s, Ren & Stimpy being the biggest proponent. This probably isn't going to be your new favorite game, but it's worth a run through, especially if you can grab it on sale.
This first-person Adventure has you exploring a beautiful wasteland; the skies have a lovely summer evening glow, but everything below you is black sludge. Your goal is to spray graffiti in certain spots to increase your rep, and eventually escape the city. You can also eat banana slugs you find all over the place, or fly for a short time after eating some 'shrooms. It is a little buggy, but still very playable. It's on the shorter side, but just the right length for this kind of borderline psychedelic adventure. If you're looking to just wander and vibe with just enough of an objective to keep you hooked, give this a shot.
I'm not quite sure how to classify this other than Adventure, but traversing the world is not unlike a Paper Mario. There is no real combat, but you can sing; choosing a direction chooses both the note and the color. You'll occasionally get little prompts with colors or directions (often both), and if you sing those notes in that order, a thing will happen. You travel the world, singing to solve puzzles, mostly, but also to stop the world from ending. Each chapter has the same basic groundwork, but also new mechanics and dressing, so it keeps things interesting, but consistent. Some of the puzzles are a little obtuse, but it's neat that it doesn't just bog you down with unnecessarily detailed explanations of obvious things, so the tradeoff isn't so bad. It's definitely not a hard game; something you play more for the experience than anything. And what an experience! I'll be up front: there's a lot of "magic of love and friendship" stuff going on, so it's a little hokey at times, but if you can swallow a bit of wholesome sugar, you'll find some genuinely great moments. This is the story of a legendary hero chosen by the goddess, Eya... and it's not you; that is made readily apparent from the very beginning. It's kind of funny that only the hero gets the achievements, too; you have nothing to do with them, because it isn't your story. All the same, no matter what kinds of adventures make you tick, you're likely to find something to enjoy here; my favorite was Act 3, but each act is unique enough with its gimmick. The game is unique with its visuals, too; the colors are bright and bold, making beautiful, borderline-surreal landscapes that I just couldn't get enough of seeing. There is a small, distinct rhythm game at the end of each act, which takes place in a not-so-borderline-surreal scene that I really liked, too. Most of all, despite its starry-eyed delivery, the actual message of the overall experience is a very good one.
This Adventure has a nice, cute vibe to it. You explore islands, and have a magic map that lets you rearrange them almost any way you like. Very little is explained, but almost all of the puzzles are very intuitive; the game does a great job of teaching you what kinds of things you can do with the mechanics. The story's very heartwarming with a sprinkle of mischief, and the music and visuals tie everything together nicely.
The lovely visuals of this first-person Adventure drew me in, and they never quit; the game is gorgeous all the way through. You'll spend most of your time wandering around an island and solving puzzles to progress. I say wandering mostly because it isn't super open, so exploring is a bit generous. The puzzles are pretty fair; there were a few that seemed impossible at first, but that was because I'd missed a detail that made everything fall right into place. There are a few toward the end that involve some tedious backtracking, because the details were separated, but they were very few in number. The story is also really interesting; it took a few turns you wouldn't necessarily expect, and I really like what they did with the ending.
Like its predecessor, it's a Portal knockoff, and like its predecessor, it's a good one. Sure, you don't have GLaDOS, but that's a pretty high bar; the story goes for a more serious tone, and it does just fine. The puzzles are satisfying without being frustrating, and everything is broken up into nice-sized portions. Where the game shines most is in its visuals; not only are the environments absolutely breathtaking (if a bit samey at times), but even the little visual effects that go with activating cubes are a pleasure to see. If you're into first-person games with a puzzle focus, I'd definitely recommend this one.
